What causes vitiligo? Vitiligo is an autoimmune disease. This type of disease develops when your immune system attacks part of your own body. If you have vitiligo, your immune system attacks cells in your body called melanocytes.
Collectively, our data suggest that metabolic stress might be involved with the onset and progression of vitiligo.
Causative chemicals are mostly phenolic and catecholic derivatives. Vitiligo pathogenesis is induced by genetic and environmental factors like many other autoimmune diseases. Innate immunity acts as a bridge between cellular stress and adaptive immunity.
Nevertheless, vitiligo has been found to be associated with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and autoimmune hepatitis [17].
Vitiligo signs include: Patchy loss of skin color, which usually first appears on the hands, face, and areas around body openings and the genitals.
Protect your skin from the sun.
A bad sunburn can worsen vitiligo. If you have a lighter skin tone, there's another advantage to protecting your skin from the sun. Without a tan, the lighter spots and patches are often less noticeable.
Vitiligo is associated with other autoimmune diseases: Addison disease (disorder that occurs when the adrenal glands do not produce enough hormones) Thyroid disease. Pernicious anemia (decrease in red blood cells that occurs when the intestines cannot properly absorb vitamin B12)
Vitiligo is an idiopathic disorder of skin and hair characterized by melanin loss. Nonetheless thyroid disorder is a major cause of this pathology, other factors participate in its expression. Hormones such as, testosterone and estrogen have been suspected as drivers of this disorder.
Vitiligo is an autoimmune disease of the skin, which means that someone with vitiligo has an immune system that is malfunctioning in a small way. The normal role of the immune system is to protect you from infections and cancer.
But this doesn't mean that their low vitamin D caused, or is even affecting, their vitiligo, and supplementing their vitamin D may be a good idea for their overall health, but is unlikely to help their vitiligo.
Significant number of vitiligo patients have diverse psychological problems. Hormonal response to psychological stress such as cortisol has a role in the development of vitiligo.
Treatment cannot cure vitiligo.
While researchers are looking for a cure, treatment cannot currently cure this disease. Treatment can help restore lost skin color, but the color (repigmentation) may fade over time. To keep their results, many patients have maintenance treatments.
“Patients with sleep disorders may suffer the potential risk for vitiligo. Therefore, a bidirectional relationship exists between vitiligo and sleep disorders.”
Vitiligo causes isolation, stigmatization, loss of self-esteem, depression, and self-consciousness.
Vitiligo is a chronic (long-lasting) autoimmune disorder that causes patches of skin to lose pigment or color. This happens when melanocytes – skin cells that make pigment – are attacked and destroyed, causing the skin to turn a milky-white color.
Research suggests that there is a link between vitiligo and thyroid disease. Many people with vitiligo also have thyroid disease, and autoimmunity can play a role in both conditions. However, researchers are still trying to understand the relationship.
et al., who reported that autoimmune thyroid disorders were most frequently associated with 30% of patients with vitiligo. Elevated levels of anti-TPO are seen in more than 90% cases of Hashimoto's thyroiditis and 75% of Graves' disease which were also observed by Ai J.
Many people who have vitiligo are often otherwise healthy. Even so, it's important to find a doctor like a dermatologist who knows about vitiligo. People who have vitiligo have a higher risk of getting some other medical conditions. You can also get painful sunburns on the skin that has lost color.
Topical steroids. Topical steroids come as a cream or ointment you apply to your skin. They can sometimes stop the spread of the white patches and may restore some of your original skin colour.
Light therapy.
Phototherapy with narrow band ultraviolet B (UVB) has been shown to stop or slow the progression of active vitiligo. It might be more effective when used with corticosteroids or calcineurin inhibitors. You'll need therapy two to three times a week.
Vitiligo affects approximately 0.5% to 1% of the population. Its prevalence is similar in both genders and in all races. It can appear at any age, but it often starts before the age of 20. The disease does not affect life expectancy.
Some people lose color in areas called mucous membranes, which includes the inside of the mouth or nose and the genitals. Vitiligo can also affect the hair, causing white or prematurely gray hair.